Whitaker finished ahead of Buxton in the
enduro-cross and this gave him confidence
ahead of the next day’s extreme enduro.
In the Silver Class, Hastings rider Brett Gunson
won the series ahead of New Plymouth
duo Daniel Herbert and Mark Horwell.
The top three in the Bronze Class this year were
Whitecliffs’ rider Luke Corson, Rerewhakaaitu’s Zach
Sefuiva and then Hastings rider Michael Toulmin.
Best of the Silver Veterans (40-49 years) for the
series was Auckland’s Troy Field, with Kaukapakapa’s
Lucia Oles topping the Bronze Women’s Class.
Stevenson praised the host Christchurch
Off-Road Motorcycle Club.
“They did a tremendous job of running this
event,” he said. “So much effort was put in by
these people and it was certainly appreciated.”
Only three of the four rounds of the
championship were counted towards the final
tally, with riders to discard their one worst
score from the three North Island rounds.
But the racing the next day was perhaps
even more intense, with virtually nothing to
separate the two men on the hilly course.
Although Buxton did eventually finish ahead of
Whitaker on Saturday, that wasn’t quite enough and
so Whitaker narrowly took the national Extreme
Enduro Championship title ahead of Buxton.
The 2019 Yamaha NZ Extreme Off-Road
Championships were supported by Mitas tyres,
Macaulay Metals, Best Build Construction,
Silver-bullet, Kiwi Rider magazine, Dirt
Rider Downunder magazine, Moto Events
NZ and NZ Car Parts (Auckland).
New Plymouth’s Tony Parker, Rotorua’s Bradley
Lauder and then Napier’s Mackenzie Wiig
rounded out the top five overall for the 2019
championship standings in the premier Gold Class.
Motorcycling New Zealand enduro
commissioner Justin Stevenson said the final
round had lived up to all expectations.
“It was certainly challenging,” he said. “The winds
were extreme and riders were being blown off
their bikes at some places along the ridge lines.
Then there was a huge downpour in the afternoon,
making it muddy and very slippery too.”
Riders nominated themselves as either Gold,
Silver or Bronze class competitors, depending
upon their skill and fitness levels, and the battle
for silver and bronze glory was equally fierce.
KIWI RIDER 15